Bowlby, John E.

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Bowlby, John E. (1907–90) A British psychoanalyst famous for his work on the early separation of an infant from his or her mother, positing a biological attachment need to explain both the infant's immediate responses, and later adult behaviour. His work, whilst controversial amongst feminists, was influential in changing practices in nurseries and children's wards in hospitals. The most succinct summary is in A Secure Base (1988).

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